System and method for providing data and device security between external and host devices

ABSTRACT

A secure data exchange system comprising a security device including a first external device plug, and a security engine operative to enforce a security policy on data transfer requests received from the host; an external device including a second external device plug; and a host including a first external device port operative to communicatively couple with the first external device plug, a second external device port operative to communicatively couple with the second external device plug, and a driver, e.g., a redirect driver, operative to transfer a data transfer request to the security device before executing the data transfer request.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/636,536, filed Jun. 28, 2017 and entitled “System and Method forProviding Data and Device Security Between External and Host Devices,”which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/042,938,filed Mar. 5, 2008 and entitled “System and Method for Providing Dataand Device Security Between External and Host Devices,” which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/893,109,filed Mar. 5, 2007 and entitled “Systems and Methods for Secured USB andOther Ports,” which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/376,919, filed Mar. 15, 2006 and entitled“System and Method for Providing Network Security to Mobile Devices,”now U.S. Pat. No. 8,381,297, and U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 60/750,326, filed Dec. 13, 2005 and entitled “Personal SecurityAppliance,” are also hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to computer security, and moreparticularly provides a system and method for providing data and devicesecurity between external and host devices.

BACKGROUND

The internet is an interconnection of millions of individual computernetworks owned by governments, universities, nonprofit groups, companiesand individuals. While the internet is a great source of valuableinformation and entertainment, the internet has also become a majorsource of system damaging and system fatal application code, such as“viruses,” “spyware,” “adware,” “worms,” “Trojan horses,” and othermalicious code.

To protect users, programmers design computer and computer-networksecurity systems for blocking malicious code from attacking bothindividual and network computers. On the most part, network securitysystems have been relatively successful. A computer that connects to theinternet from within an enterprise's network typically has two lines ofdefense. The first line of defense includes a network security system,which may be part of the network gateway, that includes firewalls,antivirus, antispyware and content filtering. The second line of defenseincludes individual security software on individual machines, which isnot typically as secure as the network security system and is thus morevulnerable to attacks. In combination, the first and second lines ofdefense together provide pretty good security protection. However, whena device connects to the internet without the intervening networksecurity system, the device loses its first line of defense. Thus,mobile devices (e.g., laptops, desktops, PDAs such as RIM's Blackberry,cell phones, any wireless device that connects to the internet, etc.)when traveling outside the enterprise network are more vulnerable toattacks.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network system 100 of the prior art.Network system 100 includes a desktop 105 and a mobile device 110, eachcoupled to an enterprise's intranet 115. The intranet 115 is coupled viaa network security system 120 (which may be a part of the enterprise'sgateway) to the untrusted internet 130. Accordingly, the desktop 105 andmobile device 110 access the internet 130 via the network securitysystem 120. A security administrator 125 typically manages the networksecurity system 120 to assure that it includes the most current securityprotection and thus that the desktop 105 and mobile device 110 areprotected from malicious code. Demarcation 135 divides the trustedenterprise 140 and the untrusted public internet 130. Because thedesktop 105 and the mobile device 110 are connected to the internet 130via the network security system 120, both have two lines of defense(namely, the network security system 120 and the security softwareresident on the device itself) against malicious code from the internet130. Of course, although trusted, the intranet 115 can also be a sourceof malicious code.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example network system 200 of the prior art, whenthe mobile device 110 has traveled outside the trusted enterprise 140and reconnected to the untrusted internet 130. This could occur perhapswhen the user takes mobile device 110 on travel and connects to theinternet 130 at a cybercafe, at a hotel, or via any untrusted wired orwireless connection. Accordingly, as shown, the mobile device 110 is nolonger protected by the first line of defense (by the network securitysystem 120) and thus has increased its risk of receiving malicious code.Further, by physically bringing the mobile device 110 back into thetrusted enterprise 140 and reconnecting from within, the mobile device110 risks transferring any malicious code received to the intranet 115.

As the number of mobile devices and the number of attacks grow, mobilesecurity is becoming increasingly important. The problem was emphasizedin the Info-Security Conference in New York on Dec. 7-8, 2005. However,no complete solutions were presented.

Similarly, when a host device is connected to an external device such asa USB flash drive, iPod, external hard drive, etc., both devices arevulnerable to receipt of malicious code or transfer of private data.FIG. 11 illustrates an example prior art data exchange system 1100 thatincludes a host computer (host) 1105 and an external device 1110. Thehost 1105 includes an external device (ED) port 1115, such as a USBport, for receiving the external device 1110. The host 1105 alsoincludes ED drivers 1120 for performing enumeration and enablingcommunications between the external device 1110 and the host 1105. Theexternal device 1110 includes an ED plug, such as a USB plug, forcommunicating with the ED port 1115. Both of the host 1105 and externaldevice 1110 are vulnerable to receipt of malicious code or transfer ofprivate data.

Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method of providingsecurity to host and external devices.

SUMMARY

Per one embodiment, the present invention provides a security devicecomprising an external device plug operative to communicatively couplewith a host; an external device port operative to communicatively couplewith an external device; a processor; and memory storing an operatingsystem, an external device driver operative to control communicationwith the external device, and a security engine operative to enforce asecurity policy on a data transfer request between the external deviceand the host. The security device may be operative with a driver on thehost. At least one of the external device plug and the external deviceport may follow a USB standard. At least one of the external device plugand the external device port may include a wireless connection. Thesecurity engine may protect against the transfer of at least one ofviruses, spyware and adware. The security engine may protect against theunauthorized transfer of private data.

Per one embodiment, the present invention provides a secure dataexchange system, comprising a security device including a first externaldevice plug, and a security engine operative to enforce a securitypolicy on data transfer requests received from the host; an externaldevice including a second external device plug; and a host including afirst external device port operative to communicatively couple with thefirst external device plug, a second external device port operative tocommunicatively couple with the second external device plug, and aredirect driver operative to transfer a data transfer request from thehost to the security device before executing the data transfer request.The external device may include a USB drive. The external device mayinclude one of a PDA or a cell phone. The host may include one of alaptop, desktop, PDA or cell phone. The host may launch the redirectdriver upon detecting connection of the secure device to the host.

Per one embodiment, the present invention may provide a methodcomprising communicatively coupling a security device to a host;communicatively coupling an external device to the security device;receiving by the security device a data transfer request from the host;and enforcing by the security device a security policy on the datatransfer request before allowing the data transfer request to beperformed. The communicatively coupling a security device to a host mayinclude using a wired or wireless connection. The communicativelycoupling an external device to the host may include using a wired orwireless connection. The data transfer request may include a request totransfer data from the host to the external device. The data transferrequest may include a request to transfer data from the external deviceto the host. The enforcing may include reviewing the data beingtransferred for at least one of viruses, spyware and adware. Theenforcing may include determining whether the data transfer requestincludes a request for private data. The enforcing may include requiringan additional security check before allowing the transfer of privatedata.

Per one embodiment, the present invention provides a method, comprisingcommunicatively coupling a security device to a host; communicativelycoupling an external device to the host; receiving by the host a datatransfer request; using a redirect driver on the host to redirect thedata transfer request to the security device; and enforcing by thesecurity device a security policy on the data transfer request beforeallowing the data transfer request to be performed. The communicativelycoupling a security device to a host may include using a wired orwireless connection. The communicatively coupling an external device tothe host may include using a wired or wireless connection. The datatransfer request may include a request to transfer data from the host tothe external device. The data transfer request may include a request totransfer data from the external device to the host. The enforcing mayinclude reviewing the data being transferred for at least one ofviruses, spyware and adware. The enforcing may include determiningwhether the data transfer request includes a request for private data.The enforcing may include requiring an additional security check beforeallowing the transfer of private data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a prior art network system in a firststate.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a prior art network system in a secondstate.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a network system in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating details of a computer system inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5 and 5A are block diagrams illustrating details of the mobilesecurity system in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating details of the mobile securitysystem in accordance with a Microsoft Window's embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating details of a smart policyupdating system in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating details of network securitymeasures relative to the OSI layers.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating details of the communicationtechnique for spreading security code to the mobile security systems.

FIGS. 10A-10C are block diagrams illustrating various architectures forconnecting a mobile device to a mobile security system, in accordancewith various embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a prior art data exchangesystem.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a secure data exchange system,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating details of a security device, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating details of a security system, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a secure data exchange system,in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method of secure data exchangebetween a host and an external device, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is provided to enable any person skilled inthe art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the context ofa particular application and its requirements. Various modifications tothe embodiments may be possible to those skilled in the art, and thegeneric principles defined herein may be applied to these and otherembodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to belimited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles, features and teachings disclosed herein.

An embodiment of the present invention uses a small piece of hardwarethat connects to a mobile device and filters out attacks and maliciouscode. The piece of hardware may be referred to as a “mobile securitysystem” or “personal security appliance.” Using the mobile securitysystem, a mobile device can be protected by greater security andpossibly by the same level of security offered by its associatedcorporation/enterprise.

FIG. 3 illustrates a network system 300 in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. Network system 300 includes a desktop 305, afirst mobile device 310 a, and a second mobile device 310 b. The firstmobile device 310 a is illustrated as within the enterprise network 340at this time and is coupled via a mobile security system 345 a to theenterprise's intranet 315. The desktop 305 and second mobile device 310b are also within the enterprise network 340 but in this embodiment arecoupled to the intranet 315 without an intervening mobile securitysystem 345 such as mobile security system 345 b. The intranet 315 iscoupled via a network security system 320 (which may be part of theenterprise's gateway) to the untrusted internet 330. Accordingly, thefirst mobile device 310 a, the second mobile device 310 b and thedesktop 305 access the untrusted internet 330 via the network securitysystem 320. Each may also be protected by a personal security systemresident thereon (not shown). A third mobile device 310 c is currentlyoutside the enterprise network 340 and is coupled via a mobile securitysystem 345 b to the untrusted internet 330. The third mobile device 310may be in use by an employee of the trusted enterprise 340 who iscurrently on travel. A security administrator 325 manages the mobilesecurity system 345 a, the mobile security system 345 b, and the networksecurity system 320 to assure that they include the most currentsecurity protection. One skilled in the art will recognize that the samesecurity administrator need not manage the various devices. Further, thesecurity administrator could be the user and need not be within thetrusted enterprise 340.

Demarcation 335 divides the trusted enterprise 340 and the untrustedpublicly accessible internet 330. Each of mobile device 310 a, 310 b and310 c may be referred to generically as mobile device 310, although theyneed not be identical. Each mobile security system 345 a and 345 b maybe referred to generically as mobile security system 345, although theyneed not be identical.

As shown, although the mobile device 310 c has traveled outside thetrusted enterprise 340, the mobile device 310 c connects to theuntrusted internet 330 via the mobile security system 345 b and thusretains two lines of defense (namely, the mobile security system 345 band the security software resident on the device itself). In thisembodiment, the mobile security system 345 effectively acts as a mobileinternet gateway on behalf of the mobile device 310 c. In an embodiment,the mobile security system 345 may be a device dedicated to networksecurity. In an embodiment, each mobile security system 345 may supportmultiple mobile devices 310, and possibly only registered mobile devices310, e.g., those belonging to enterprise 340.

Each mobile security system 345 (e.g., 345 a, 345 b) may be a miniatureserver, based on commercial hardware (with Intel's Xscale as the core),Linux OS and network services, and open-source firewall, IDS/IPS andantivirus protection. The mobile security system 345 may be based on ahardened embedded Linux 2.6.

In this embodiment, because the security administrator 325 is capable ofremotely communicating with the mobile security system 345 b, IT canmonitor and/or update the security policies/data/engines implemented onthe mobile security system 345 b. The security administrator 325 cancentrally manage all enterprise devices, remotely or directly. Further,the security administrator 325 and mobile security systems 345 caninteract to automatically translate enterprise security policies intomobile security policies and configure mobile security systems 345accordingly. Because the mobile security system 345 may be generatedfrom the relevant security policies of the enterprise 340, the mobiledevice 310 c currently traveling may have the same level of protectionas the devices 305/310 within the trusted enterprise 340.

The mobile security system 345 may be designed as an add-on to existingsoftware security or to replace all security hardware and software on atraveling mobile device. These security applications will preferablyoperate on different OSI layers to provide maximum security andmalicious code detection, as shown in the example system illustrated inFIG. 8. Operating on the lower OSI layers and doing TCP/IP packetsanalysis only (by screening firewall or router packets) would miss virusand/or worm behavior. Also, many modern viruses use mobile codeimplemented on a “higher” level than the 7.sup.th OSI layer(Application—HTTP, FTP, etc.) and therefore cannot be interpreted at thepacket layer nor at the application layer. For example, applyingantivirus analysis only at the session or transport layer on a maliciousJava Script (that is included in an HTML page), trying to match thesignature with packets and without understanding the content type (JavaScript), will not detect the malicious nature of the Java Script. Tooffer greater protection, the mobile security system 345 may act ascorporate class security appliance and engage different securityapplications based on the content type and the appropriate OSI layers,(or even a “higher” level if content is encapsulated in the applicationlayer). The mobile security system 345 may be configured to performcontent analysis at different OSI layers, e.g., from the packet level tothe application level. It will be appreciated that performing deepinspection at the application level is critical to detect maliciouscontent behavior and improve detection of viruses, worms, spyware,Trojan horses, etc. The following software packages may be implementedon the mobile security system 345: Firewall and VPN—including statefuland stateless firewalls, NAT, packet filtering and manipulation,DOS/DDOS, netfilter, isolate user mobile devices from the internet andrun VPN program on the device, etc. Optional web accelerator andbandwidth/cache management based on Squid. IDS/IPS—Intrusion detectionand prevention system based on Snort. Snort is an open source networkintrusion prevention and detection system utilizing a rule-drivenlanguage, which combines the benefits of signature, protocol- andanomaly-based inspections. Antivirus and antispyware based on ClamAV;additional AV and AS engines, e.g., McAfee, Kaspersky, Pandamay, may beoffered for additional subscription fees. Malicious Content Detection—onthe fly heuristics that perform content analysis to detect maliciouscontent before having signatures. This will be based on a rule base andupdated rules and will be content dependent scanning. URL CategorizationFiltering—based on a commercial engine, such as Surfcontrol, SmartFilters or Websense. May provide around 70 categories of URLs such asgambling, adult content, news, webmail, etc. The mobile device 345 mayapply different security policies based on the URL category, e.g.,higher restriction and heuristics for Gambling or Adult content websites, etc.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating details of an example computersystem 400, of which each desktop 305, mobile device 310, networksecurity system 320, mobile security system 345, and securityadministrator 325 may be an instance. Computer system 400 includes aprocessor 405, such as an Intel Pentium® microprocessor or a MotorolaPower PC® microprocessor, coupled to a communications channel 410. Thecomputer system 400 further includes an input device 415 such as akeyboard or mouse, an output device 420 such as a cathode ray tubedisplay, a communications device 425, a data storage device 430 such asa magnetic disk, and memory 435 such as Random-Access Memory (RAM), eachcoupled to the communications channel 410. The communications interface425 may be coupled directly or via a mobile security system 345 to anetwork such as the internet. One skilled in the art will recognizethat, although the data storage device 430 and memory 435 areillustrated as different units, the data storage device 430 and memory435 can be parts of the same unit, distributed units, virtual memory,etc.

The data storage device 430 and/or memory 435 may store an operatingsystem 440 such as the Microsoft Windows XP, the IBM OS/2 operatingsystem, the MAC OS, UNIX OS, LINUX OS and/or other programs 445. It willbe appreciated that a preferred embodiment may also be implemented onplatforms and operating systems other than those mentioned. Anembodiment may be written using JAVA, C, and/or C++ language, or otherprogramming languages, possibly using object oriented programmingmethodology.

One skilled in the art will recognize that the computer system 400 mayalso include additional information, such as network connections,additional memory, additional processors, LANs, input/output lines fortransferring information across a hardware channel, the internet or anintranet, etc. One skilled in the art will also recognize that theprograms and data may be received by and stored in the system inalternative ways. For example, a computer-readable storage medium (CRSM)reader 450 such as a magnetic disk drive, hard disk drive,magneto-optical reader, CPU, etc. may be coupled to the communicationsbus 410 for reading a computer-readable storage medium (CRSM) 455 suchas a magnetic disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, RAM, etc.Accordingly, the computer system 400 may receive programs and/or datavia the CRSM reader 450. Further, it will be appreciated that the term“memory” herein is intended to cover all data storage media whetherpermanent or temporary.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating details of the mobile securitysystem 345 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.Mobile security system 345 includes adapters/ports/drivers 505, memory510, a processor 515, a preboot flash/ROM memory module 520 storing asecure version of the mobile security system's operating system andother applications, network connection module 525, security engines 530,security policies 535, security data 540, remote management module 550,distribution module 555, and backup module 560. Although these modulesare illustrated as within the mobile security system 345, one skilled inthe art will recognize that many of them could be located elsewhere,e.g., on the security administrator 325 or on third-party systems incommunication with the mobile security system 345. The mobile securitysystem 345 may be in a pocket-size, handheld-size or key-chain sizehousing, or possibly smaller. Further, the mobile security system 345may be incorporated within the mobile device 310.

The adapters/ports/drivers 505 include connection mechanisms (includingsoftware, e.g., drivers) for USB, Ethernet, WiFi, WiMAX, GSM, CDMA,Bluetooth, PCMCIA and/or other connection data ports on the mobilesecurity system 345. In one embodiment, the adapters/ports/drivers 505may be capable of connection to multiple devices 310 to provide networksecurity to the multiple devices 310.

Memory 510 and processor 515 execute the operating system andapplications on the mobile security system 345. In this example, thepreboot flash 520 stores the operating system and applications. At boottime, the operating system and applications are loaded from the prebootflash 520 into memory 510 for execution. Since the operating system andapplications are stored in the preboot flash 520, which cannot beaccessed during runtime by the user, the operating system andapplications in the preboot flash 520 are not corruptible. Should thecopy of the operating system and applications in memory 510 becorrupted, e.g., by malicious code, the operating system andapplications may be reloaded into the memory 510 from the preboot flash520, e.g., upon restart. Although described as stored within the prebootflash 520, the OS and applications can be securely stored within otherread-only memory devices, such as ROM, PROM, EEPROM, etc.

As shown in FIG. 5A, memory (including memory 510 and preboot flash 520)on the mobile security system 345 may be divided into the followingzones: read only memory 570; random access memory 575 for storing a copyof the OS, kernel and security applications; runtime environment 580;and database 585 for storing application data, log files, etc.

Upon each “hard” restart, the boot loader (resident in read only memory570) of the mobile security system 345 copies the kernel and securityapplications (a fresh unchanged copy) from read only memory 570 torandom access memory 575. This causes a clean version of the OS andapplications to be loaded into random access memory 575 each time. Thatway, if a specialized attack on mobile security system 345 is developed,the attack will be unable to infect the system, since the OS andapplications are precluded from accessing read only memory 570 duringruntime. Further, any attack that does reach memory 510 will be able torun only once and will disappear upon a hard restart. A triggeringmechanism may be available to restart the mobile security system 345automatically upon infection detection.

The network connection module 525 enables network connection, e.g., tothe internet 330 or the intranet 315 via network communicationhardware/software including WiFi, WiMAX, CDMA, GSM, GPRS, Ethernet,modem, etc. For example, if the mobile device 310 wishes to connect tothe internet 330 via a WiFi connection, the adapters/ports/drivers 505may be connected to the PCI port, USB port or PCMCIA port of the mobiledevice 310, and the network connection module 525 of the mobile securitysystem 345 may include a WiFi network interface card for connecting towireless access points. Using the network connection module 425, themobile security system 345 may communicate with the network as a securegateway for the mobile device 310. Other connection architectures aredescribed in FIGS. 10A-10C.

The security engines 530 execute security programs based on the securitypolicies 535 and on security data 540, both of which may be developed byIT managers. Security engines 530 may include firewalls, VPN, IPS/IDS,antivirus, antispyware, malicious content filtering, multilayeredsecurity monitors, Java and bytecode monitors, etc. Each security engine530 may have dedicated security policies 535 and security data 540 toindicate which procedures, content, URLs, system calls, etc. the engines530 may or may not allow. The security engines 530, security policies535 and security data 540 may be the same as, a subset of, and/ordeveloped from the engines, policies and data on the network securitysystem 320.

To provide a higher security level provided by antivirus and antispywaresoftware, the security engines 530 on each mobile security system 345may implement content analysis and risk assessment algorithms. Operatingfor example at OSI Layer 7 and above (mobile code encapsulated withinLayer 7), these algorithms may be executed by dedicated High RiskContent Filtering (HRCF) that can be controlled by a rules engine andrule updates. The HRCF will be based on a powerful detection librarythat can perform deep content analysis to verify real content types.This is because many attacks are hidden within wrong mime types and/ormay use sophisticated tricks to present a text file type to a dangerousactive script or ActiveX content type. The HRCF may integrate with a URLcategorization security engine 530 for automatic rule adjustment basedon the URL category. In one embodiment, when the risk level increases(using the described mechanism) the mobile security system 345 mayautomatically adjust and increase filtering to remove more activecontent from the traffic. For example, if greater risk is determined,every piece of mobile code, e.g., Java script, VB script, etc. may bestripped out.

Three aspects for integration with corporate policy server legacysystems include rules, LDAP and active directory, and logging andreporting as discussed below. In one embodiment, a policy import agentrunning on the security administrator 325 will access the rule base ofCheckpoint Firewall-1 and Cisco PIX Firewalls and import them into alocal copy. A rule analysis module will process the important rules andwill offer out-of-the-box rules and policies for mobile security systems345. This proposed policy will offer all mobile security systems 345 abest fit of rules that conform the firewall policy of the enterprise340. The agent will run periodically to reflect any changes and generateupdates for mobile security system 345 policies 535. The LDAP and ActiveDirectory may be integrated with the directory service to maintainmobile security system 345 security policies 535 that respond to theenterprise's directory definitions. For example, a corporate policy forLDAP user Group “G” may automatically propagate to all mobile securitysystems 345 in “G” group. Mobile security system 345 local logs andaudit trails may be sent in accordance to a logging and reporting policyto a central log stored at the security administrator 325. Using a webinterface, IT may be able to generate reports and audit views related toall mobile device 310 users, their internet experiences, and attempts tobring infected devices back to the enterprise 340. IT will be able toforward events and log records into legacy management systems via SYSLOGand SNMP Traps.

The security engines 530 may perform weighted risk analysis. Forexample, the security engine 530 may analyze HTTP, FTP, SMTP, POP3, IM,P2P, etc. including any traffic arriving from the internet 330. Thesecurity engine 530 may assign a weight and rank for every object basedon its type, complexity, richness in abilities, source of the object,etc. The security engine 530 may assign weight based on the source usinga list of known dangerous or known safe sources. The security engine 530may assign weight to objects based on the category of the source, e.g.,a gambling source, an adult content source, a news source, a reputablecompany source, a banking source, etc. The security engine 530 maycalculate the weight, and based on the result determine whether to allowor disallow access to the content, the script to run, the systemmodification to occur, etc. The security engine 530 may “learn” usercontent (by analyzing for a predetermined period of time the generalcontent that the user accesses) and accordingly may create personalcontent profiles. The personal content profile may be used to calibratethe weight assigned to content during runtime analysis to improveaccuracy and tailor weighted risk analysis for specific usercharacteristics.

In some embodiments, the security engines 530, security policies 535 andsecurity data 540 may enable bypassing the mobile security system 345.The security policy 535, set by the security administrator 325, mayinclude a special attribute to force network connection through themobile security system 325 when outside the trusted enterprise 340.Thus, if this attribute is set “on,” when a mobile device 310 attemptsto connect to the internet 330 without the mobile security system 345and not from within the trusted enterprise 340, all data transferconnections including LAN connection, USB-net, modem, Bluetooth, WiFi,etc. may be closed. The mobile device 310 may be totally isolated andunable to connect to any network, including the internet 330.

In one embodiment, to enable this, when first connecting the mobilesecurity system 345 to the mobile device 310 using for example the USBcable (for both power and USB connection creation), the USB plug & playdevice driver will be sent into the mobile device 310. The installeddriver may be “Linux.inf” which allows a USB-net connection for themobile security system 345. This connection allows the mobile securitysystem 345 to access the internet 330 via the USB port and using themobile device 310 network connection plus additional code (“theconnection client”). In a Windows example, the connection client may beinstalled at the NDIS level of the mobile device 310 above all thenetwork interface cards of every network connection as shown in FIG. 6.The implementation will be as an NDIS Intermediate (IM) Driver orNDIS-Hooking Filter Driver. Both implementations may be at the kernellevel, so that an end user cannot stop or remove it. When starting themobile device 310, the connection client may attempt to connect to thesecurity administrator 325 or the network security system 320 locallywithin the trusted enterprise 340. If the node is not found (finding viaVPN is considered as not found in local LAN), the connection client willassume it is working from outside the trusted enterprise 340 and expectsto find the mobile security system 345 connected, e.g., via USB-net orother connection mechanism. If the mobile security system 345 is notfound, the connection client may avoid any communication to any networkconnection. By a policy definition, this behavior can be modified toallow communication to the enterprise 340 via VPN installed in themobile device 310. Similarly, in case of a mobile device system 345failure, all traffic may be disabled, except for the VPN connection intothe enterprise 340.

It will be appreciated that NDIS is one possible implementation ofintercepting traffic at the kernel level. For example, in anotherembodiment, the system may hook Winsock or apply other ways that may bein future Windows versions.

In an embodiment where the mobile security system 345 supports multiplemobile devices 310, the security engines 530, security policies 535 andsecurity data 540 may be different for each mobile device 310 (e.g.,based on for example user preferences or IT decision). Alternatively, itcan apply the same engines 530, policies 535 and data 540 for allconnected devices 310.

The remote management module 550 enables communication with securityadministrator 325 (and/or other security administrators), and enableslocal updating of security engines 530, security policies 535, securitydata 540 including signatures and other applications. In one embodiment,modification to the security policies 535 and data 540 can be done bythe security administrator 325 only. The remote management module 550 ofthe mobile security system 345 may receive updates from an updateauthorities device (UAD), e.g., on the security administrator 325 via asecured connection. A UAD may operate on an update server at a customerIT center located on the internet 330 to forward updates to mobilesecurity systems 345 that possibly do not belong to an enterprise 540 incharge of managing updates. A UAD may operate on a mobile securitysystem 345. Security engine 530 updates may modify the antivirus engineDLL, etc. OS and security application updates may be implemented onlyfrom within the enterprise 540 while connecting to the securityadministrator 325 and via an encrypted and authenticated connection.

The security administrator 325 can modify URL black and white lists forremote support to traveling users. In case of false positives, thesecurity administrator 325 may allow access to certain URLs, bybypassing the proactive heuristics security but still monitoring byfirewall, antivirus, IPS/IDS, etc. Additional remote device-managementfeatures may enable the security administrator 325 to perform remotediagnostics, access local logs, change configuration parameters, etc. onthe mobile security system 345. The security administrator 325 maydelegate tasks to a helpdesk for support.

The remote management module 550 may communicate with a wizard (e.g.,wizard 745), which may be on the security administrator 325, asillustrated in FIG. 7, or on another system. Details of the wizard 745and details of the communication schemes between the remote managementmodule 550 and the wizard 745 are described below with reference to FIG.7.

The distribution module 555 enables distribution of updates, e.g.,security policy 535 updates including rule updates, security data 540updates including signature updates, security engine 530 updates,application/OS updates, etc. by the mobile security system 345 to Nother mobile security systems 345. A routing table identifying the Nother mobile security systems 345 to whom to forward the updates may beprovided to the distribution module 555 to enable system 345 to system345 communication. Updates may be implemented according to policies setby the security administrator 325. When forwarding updates, thedistribution module 555 acts as a UAD.

Each mobile security system 345 may obtain its routing table withsecurity information updates, periodically, at predetermined times, uponlogin, etc. The routing tables may be maintained on a server, e.g., thesecurity administrator 325 or another mobile security system 345. In oneembodiment, the mobile security systems 345 may contact the server toretrieve the routing tables. Alternatively, the server may push therouting tables to the mobile security systems 345.

The distribution module 555 may enable rapid updates as shown in FIG. 9.Currently, all commercial antivirus products available do not updatedevices faster than viruses spread. To assure that a new virus attackdoes not spread faster than for example signature updates, each mobilesecurity system 345 may be an active UAD. In one embodiment, as shown inFIG. 9, each mobile security system 345 is responsible for forwardingthe signature updates to four other devices 345. As one skilled in theart will recognize, all devices 345 need to forward to the same numberof other devices 345. Multiple devices 345 may be responsible forforwarding to the same device 345. When necessary, offline devices 345being activated may poll the server, e.g., the security administrator325, for routing table updates. Many other updating techniques are alsopossible.

The backup module 560 may constantly backup image and changes of theboot sector and system files of the mobile device 310 into the flashmemory 520 or into another persistent memory device. That way, in caseof major failure, including a loss of the system or boot sector of themobile device 310, the mobile security system 345 may be identified as aCD-ROM during reboot and may launch the backup module (or separateprogram) to restore the boot sector and system files on the mobiledevice 310, thereby recovering the mobile device 310 without the needfor IT support. In an embodiment where the network security system 345supports multiple mobile devices 310, the backup module 560 may containseparate boot sector and system files for each of the mobile devices310, if different.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating details of a smart policyupdating system 700 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. System 700 includes the security administrator 325 coupled tothe network security system 320 and to the mobile security system 345.The network security system 320 includes security engines 705, includingan antivirus engine 715, an IPS/IDS engine 720, a firewall engine 725,and other security engines. The network security system 320 alsoincludes security policies and data 710, including antivirus policiesand data 730, IPS/IDS policies and data 735, firewall policies and data740, and other policies and data. Similarly, the mobile security system345 includes an antivirus engine 755, an IPS/IDS engine 760, a firewallengine 765, and other engines. The mobile security system 345 alsoincludes security policies and data 535/540, including antivirussecurity policies and data 770, IPS/IDS security policies and data 775,firewall security policies and data 780, and other security policies anddata.

The security administrator 325 includes a wizard 745 for enablingsubstantially automatic initial and possibly dynamic setup of thesecurity engines 530, security policies 535 and security data 540 on themobile security system 345. In one embodiment, the wizard 745 mayautomatically load all security engines 705 and policies and data 710 ofthe network security system 320 as the security engines 530 and policiesand data 535/540 on the mobile security system 345. In anotherembodiment, the wizard 745 may include all security engines 705 andpolicies and data 710 except those known to be irrelevant, e.g., thoserelated to billing software used by accounting, those relating to websoftware running only on the web servers, etc. In another embodiment,the engines 530 would need to be loaded by an IT manager, and would notbe loaded automatically by the wizard 745.

In one embodiment, the wizard 745 may determine whether the mobilesecurity system 345 requires a particular security engine 530, e.g., anantivirus engine 755, IPS/IDS engine 760, firewall engine 765, etc. Ifso determined, then the wizard 745 would load the engine 530 onto themobile security system 345. The wizard 745 would then determine whichpolicies and data sets, e.g., some for antivirus engine 755, some forthe IPS/IDS engine 760, some for the firewall engine 765, etc. areimportant to the mobile security system 345. The wizard 745 will thendetermine which of the antivirus policies and data 730 on the networksecurity system 320 are relevant to the antivirus policies and data 770on the mobile security system 345, which of the IPS/IDS policies anddata 735 on the network security system 320 are relevant to the IPS/IDSpolicies and data 775 on the mobile security system 345, which of thefirewall policies and data 740 on the network security system 320 arerelevant to the firewall policies and data 780 on the mobile securitysystem 345, and which of the other policies and data on the networksecurity system 320 are relevant to the policies and data on the mobilesecurity system 345. As stated above, the wizard 745 may determine thatall security engines 705 or just a subset are needed on the mobilesecurity system 345. The wizard 745 may determine that all policies anddata 710 for a given engine type or just a subset should be forwarded.The wizard 745 may determine which relevant policies and data 710 shouldbe forwarded to the mobile security system 345 based on rules developedby an IT manager, based on item-by-item selection during the setupprocedure, etc. Alternative to the wizard 745, an IT manager can setupthe engines 530 and policies and data 535/540 on the mobile securitysystem 345 without the wizard 745.

The security administrator 325 may also include an update authoritiesdevice 750. The update authorities device 750 may obtain security systemupdates (e.g., signature updates) and may send the updates to thenetwork security system 320 and to the mobile security system 345. Oneskilled in the art will recognize that the updates to the networksecurity system 320 and the updates to the mobile security system 345need not be the same. Further, the update authorities device 750 mayobtain the updates from security managers, security engine developers,antivirus specialists, etc. The update authorities device 750 mayforward the updates to all network security systems 320 and all mobilesecurity systems 345, or may forward routing tables to all mobilesecurity systems 345 and the updates only to an initial set of mobilesecurity systems 345. The initial set of mobile security systems 345 mayforward the updates to the mobile security systems 345 identified in therouting tables in a P2P manner, similar to the process illustrated inFIG. 9. As stated above, each mobile security system 345 operating toforward updates is itself acting as an update authorities device 750.

Other applications may be included on the mobile security system 345.For example, add-on applications for recurring revenue from existingcustomers may include general email, anti-spam, direct and secured emaildelivery, information vaults, safe skype and other instant messagingservices, etc. Email Security and Anti-spam-implementation of mail relayon mobile security systems 345 (including the web security engine above)and a local spam quarantine (based on SendMail or similar process) mayimplement a complete mail security suite (SMTP and POP3) includinganti-spam with real time indexing (via online web spam quarries). Usersmay have access to the quarantine to review spam messages, releasemessages, modify and custom spam rules, etc., via a web interface.Direct and Secured Email Delivery based on mail relay will allow themobile security system 345 to send user email directly from one mobilesecurity system 345 to another mobile security system 345 without usingin route mail servers. This allows corporate users to send emails thatneed not travel in the interne, thus leaving trace and duplicates ondifferent unknown mail servers in route. This combined with the abilityto use a secured pipe between two mobile security systems is valuable tocorporations. Without such methodology, people could trace emailsexchange without accessing to the enterprise's mail server, by trackingdown copies in intermediate mail servers that were used to deliver themessages. Information Vault—Application to encrypt and store end userinformation on the mobile security system 345 may be available only toauthorized users via a web interface and a web server implemented onevery mobile security system 345 (e.g., BOA, Apache, etc.) Safe Skypeand Other IM—implementing an instant messaging client on the mobilesecurity system 345 can guarantee that the instant messaging system orP2P application has no access to data on the mobile device 310. Adding achipset of AC/97 to provide a sound interface on the mobile securitysystem 325 could allow users to talk and receive calls directly from/tothe mobile security system 325.

Although not shown, a small battery may be included with the mobilesecurity system 345. This battery may be charged by the USB connectionduring runtime or using the power adapter at any time. The battery mayguarantee proper shutdown, e.g., when user disconnects the USB cablefrom the mobile security system 345. It will be signaled by the systemwhich will launch applications and system shutdown. This will ensure aproper state of the file system and flashing open files buffers.

A multi-layered defense and detection abilities is required. This may bedone by a special code that is constantly monitoring the scanning resultby different systems (antivirus, IDS/IPS, firewall, antispyware, URLcategory, etc.) and at different levels to build a puzzle and identifyan attack even if it's not recognized by each of the individualsubsystems. By doing this, the mobile security system 345 will maintainand in some cases even improve the security level provided within theenterprise 540.

One available benefit of the mobile security system 345 is its abilityto enforce the policy of the enterprise 540 on the end user while theyare traveling or working from home. Since the mobile security system 345uses similar security engines and policy as when connected from withinthe enterprise 540 and since the end user cannot access the internet 330without it (except via VPN connection into the enterprise 540), IT maybe capable of enforcing its security policy beyond the boundaries of theenterprise 540. The OS may be under the entire supervision of IT, whilethe mobile security system 3450S acts as an end user OS under hiscontrol. This resolves the problems of who controls what and howsecurity and productivity face minimal compromise.

A standalone version of the mobile security system 345 may offer thesame functionality, and may provide a local management interface via webbrowser. Attractive to home users and small offices that lack an ITdepartment, the mobile security system 345 enables the end user tolaunch a browser, connect to the mobile security system 345, set thedifferent policies (update policy, security rules, etc.) includingmodifying the white and black URL lists, etc. There is also anopportunity to provide end users with a service of remote management ofthe mobile security systems 345 by subscription.

FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C illustrate three example architectures ofconnecting a mobile security system 345 to a mobile device 310, inaccordance with various embodiments of the present invention. In FIG.10A, the mobile device 310 is coupled to the mobile security system 345via USB connections 1015 and 1020 and is coupled to the internet 330 viaa NIC card 1005. The mobile device 310 receives internet traffic fromthe internet 330 via its NIC card 1005. A kernel-level redirector 1010(e.g., via NDIS, Winsock, etc.) on the mobile device 310 automaticallyredirects the internet traffic via the USB connections 1015 and 1020 tothe mobile security system 345, which scans, cleans and returns thecleaned internet traffic to the mobile device 310 via the USBconnections 1015 and 1020. In FIG. 10B, the mobile device 310 is coupledto the mobile security system 345 via USB connections 1025 and 1030. Themobile security system 345 includes a NIC card 1035 for receivinginternet traffic from the internet 330. The mobile security system 345scans, cleans and forwards the internet traffic via the USB connections1025 and 1030 to the mobile device 310. In FIG. 10C, the mobile device310 is coupled to the mobile security system 345 via NIC cards 1040 and1045. The mobile security system 345 receives internet traffic from theinternet 330 via its NIC card 1045. The mobile security system 345scans, cleans and forwards the internet traffic wirelessly via the NICcards 1040 and 1045 to the mobile device 310. Other connectionarchitectures are also possible.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a secure data exchange system1200, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Thesecure data exchange system 1200 includes a host computer (host) 1205coupled via a security device 1210 to an external device 1110. The host1205 may include a laptop, desktop, PDA, mobile phone, or otherprocessor-based device. The external device 1110 may be any externaldevice with memory such as a USB drive, external hard drive, PDA, musicplayer, cell phone, etc. The security device 1210 is communicativelycoupled to the host 1205 via an ED port 1225 (USB, serial, parallel,Firewire, Ethernet, WiFi, WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, Bluetooth, PCMCIA and/orother connection) and an ED plug 1230 (USB, serial, parallel, Firewire,Ethernet, WiFi, WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, Bluetooth, PCMCIA and/or otherconnection). The external device 1110 is communicatively coupled to thesecurity device 1210 via an ED port 1235 (USB, serial, parallel,Firewire, Ethernet, WiFi, WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, Bluetooth, PCMCIA and/orother connection) and ED plug 1120 (USB, serial, parallel, Firewire,Ethernet, WiFi, WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, Bluetooth, PCMCIA and/or otherconnection). The connector type of the ED port 1225 and ED plug 1230combination may be different that the collector type of the ED port 1235and ED plug 1120 combination. In one embodiment, all ports 1225/1235 andplugs 1230/1120 are USB. Although the plugs 1120/1230 are illustrated asmale and ports 1225/1235 are shown as female, one skilled in the artwill recognize that the opposite is possible (plugs 1120/1230 may befemale and ports 1225/1235 may be male).

The host 1205 includes ED drivers 1220 for performing enumeration andenabling communication with the security device 1210. Similarly, thesecurity device 1210 includes ED drivers 1245 for performing enumerationand enabling communication with the external device 1110.

In one embodiment, the security device 1210 includes a programmablehardware appliance capable of enforcing security policies to protectagainst malicious code such as viruses, spyware, adware, Trojan Horses,etc. and to protect against transfer of private data. In one embodiment,the security device 1210 is configured to protect both the host 1205 andthe external device 1215. In one embodiment, the security device 1210 isconfigured to protect only one of the external device 1110 or the host1205. Additional details of the security device 1210 are provided withreference to FIGS. 13 and 14.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating details of the security device1210, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Thesecurity device 1210 include a processor 1305, such as an Intel Pentium®microprocessor or a Motorola Power PC® microprocessor, coupled to acommunications channel 1315. The security device 1210 further includesan ED plug 1230, an ED port 1235, a communications interface 1310,storage 1320 such as an EEPROM, and memory 1325 such as Random-AccessMemory (RAM) or Read Only Memory (ROM), each coupled to thecommunications channel 1315. The communications interface 1310 may becoupled to a network such as the internet. One skilled in the art willrecognize that, although the storage 1320 and memory 1325 areillustrated as different units, the data storage device 1320 and memory1325 can be parts of the same unit, distributed units, virtual memory,etc. The term “memory” herein is intended to cover all data storagemedia whether permanent or temporary. One skilled in the art willrecognize that the security device 1210 may include additionalcomponents, such as network connections, additional memory, additionalprocessors, LANs, input/output lines for transferring information acrossa hardware channel, the internet or an intranet, etc.

As shown, memory 1325 stores an operating system 1330 such as theMicrosoft Windows XP, the IBM OS/2 operating system, the MAC OS, UnixOS, Linux OS, etc. It will be appreciated that a preferred embodimentmay also be implemented on platforms and operating systems other thanthose mentioned. An embodiment may be written using JAVA, C, and/or C++language, or other programming languages, possibly using object orientedprogramming methodology. The memory 1325 also stores ED drivers 1245 anda security system 1335. The ED drivers 1245 may include standard driversfor standard external devices 1110 and proprietary drivers forproprietary external devices 1110. The ED drivers 1245 may betransferred onto the memory 1325 via ED plug 1230. The security system1335 includes code for enforcing security policies on data transferactions between the host 1205 and external device 1110.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating details of a security system1335, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Thesecurity system 1335 includes a security manager 1405, security engines1410, security policies 1415, and security data 1420.

In one embodiment, the security manager 1405 includes code forperforming enumeration, namely, to identify the external device 1110 orexternal device 1110 type and to identify the corresponding ED driver1245 capable of establishing communication between the security device1210 and the external device 1110. The security manager 1405 alsoincludes code to control execution of the various security engines 1410based on the security policies 1415 and security data 1420 to evaluatedata transfer requests or other device requests. Further, the securitymanager 1405 includes code to communicate with the host 1205, which willbe the source of the data transfer and/or other requests.

In one embodiment, the security engines 1410 includes code for securingthe transfer of data between the host 1205 and the external device 1110based on the security policies 1415 and security data 1420. The securityengines 1410 may include firewalls, antivirus, antispyware, maliciouscontent filtering, multilayered security monitors, Java and bytecodemonitors, etc. The security engines 1410 may also include data privacymodules to enforce data privacy policies 1415. Each security engine 1410may have dedicated security policies 1415 and security data 1420 toindicate which procedures, URLs, system calls, content, ID, etc. thedata requested for transfer may contain or whether the data requestedfor transfer is considered nontransferable (or nontransferable withoutadditional security measure such as a password and ID).

To provide a higher security level, the security engines 1410 mayimplement content analysis and risk assessment algorithms. In oneembodiment, a security engine 1410 assigns a weight and rank for everytransfer object based on its type, complexity, richness in abilities,source, etc. The security engine 1410 may assign weight based on thesource using a list of known dangerous or known safe sources. Thesecurity engine 1410 may assign weight to objects based on the categoryof the source, e.g., a gambling source, an adult content source, a newssource, a reputable company source, a banking source, etc. The securityengine 1410 may calculate the weight, and based on the result determinewhether to allow or disallow access to the content, the script to run,the system modification to occur, etc. The security engine 1410 may“learn” user content (by analyzing for a predetermined period of timethe general content that the user accesses) and accordingly may createpersonal content profiles. The personal content profile may be used tocalibrate the weight assigned to content during runtime analysis toimprove accuracy and tailor weighted risk analysis for specific usercharacteristics.

Thus, upon receiving a data transfer and/or other request from the host1205, the security manager 1405 will launch the appropriate securityengines 1410 based on the security policies 1415. For example, thesecurity policies 1415 may be configured not to allow specific ActiveXcontrols to be loaded from the host 1205 onto the external device 1110.The security policies 1415 may be configured not to allow data transferfrom private folders on the host 1205 to the external device 1110. Thesecurity manager 1405 will launch the appropriate security engines 1410to assure that these example security policies 1415 are met. Further,the security engines 1410 may use security data 1420, which may includedefinition files of malicious ActiveX controls, locations of privatefolders, etc.

Although not shown, the security system 1335 may include additionalcomponents such as the preboot flash 520 with OS and applications, theremote management module 550, the distribution module 555, and thebackup module 560 discussed above with reference to FIG. 5. Othercomponents are also possible.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a secure data exchange system1500, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.The secure data exchange system 1500 includes a security device 1505communicatively coupled to the host 1520 via an ED plug 1515 on thesecurity device 1505 and a first ED port 1525 on the host 1520. Thesecure data exchange system 1500 also includes an external device 1110communicatively coupled to the host 1520 via the ED plug 1120 on theexternal device 1110 and a second ED port 1535 on the host 1520.

Because the external device 1110 is not directly coupled to the securitydevice 1505, the security device 1505 is not physically intercepting thedata transfer requests between the external device 1110 and the host1520. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the host 1520 includes a redirectdriver 1530, which is configured to redirect data transfer requestsbetween the external device 1110 and the host 1520 regardless of datatransfer direction. In one embodiment, the security device 1505 may beconfigured to protect only one of the external device 1110 or the host1520. Further, in one embodiment, the security device 1505 does notcontain any ED drivers, e.g., ED drivers 1245.

In one embodiment, if the security device 1505 is not coupled to thehost 1520, the host 1520 uses the ED drivers 1540 to communicate withthe external device 1110. In one embodiment, the host 1520 is configurednot to communicate with the external device 1110 until the securitydevice 1505 is coupled to the host 1520. In one embodiment, the host1520 uses the ED drivers 1540 to communicate with the external device1110 only if additional security measures are taken, such as receipt ofa password and ID, or until the security device 1505 is coupled to thehost 1520.

In one embodiment, the host 1520 may conduct enumeration of the securitydevice 1505 upon connection of the security device 1505 to the ED port1525. Upon identifying the security device 1505 or security device 1505type, the host 1520 may initiate the redirect driver 1530 to redirectall data transfer requests or other external device 1110 requests fromall other ED ports 1535 to the security device 1505. In one embodiment,the redirect driver 1530 only accepts data transfer requests from thesecurity device 1505, which presents the requests of the external device1110 as a proxy. In one embodiment, the redirect driver 1530 performsdata transfer requests received from the external device 1110 only afterthe security device 1505 has conducted its check and given itsauthorization. Other protocols are also possible.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1600 of secure dataexchange between a host and an external device, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The method 1600 begins in step 1605with the security device 1505 being connected to the first ED port 1525of the host 1520. The external device 1110 in step 1610 is connected tothe second ED port 1535 of the host 1520. The host 1505 in step 1615performs enumeration techniques to identify the security device 1505 andthe external device 1110 and to install the appropriate drivers1530/1540 to enable communication with the security device 1505 and theexternal device 1110. The redirect driver 1530 in step 1620 receives adata transfer request from either the host 1505 to the external device1110 or from the external device 1110 to the host 1505. The redirectdriver 1530 in step 1625 redirects the data transfer request to thesecurity device 1505, which in step 1630 enforces its security policies(antivirus, antispyware, anti-adware, data privacy, etc.) on the datatransfer request. The security device 1505 in step 1635 determineswhether the data transfer request passes the security policies. If so,then the security device 1505 in step 1640 authorizes the data transferrequest and the host 1520 in step 1645 performs the data transferrequest. If not, then the security device 1505 in step 1650 rejects thedata transfer request. Method 1600 then ends.

It will be appreciated that, in one embodiment, the security device1210/1505 may be implemented as part of the host 1205/1520, e.g., withinthe housing of the host 1205/1520 and/or as a security procedureexecuted by the host 1205/1520.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention is by way of example only, and other variations andmodifications of the above-described embodiments and methods arepossible in light of the foregoing teaching. Although the network sitesare being described as separate and distinct sites, one skilled in theart will recognize that these sites may be a part of an integral site,may each include portions of multiple sites, or may include combinationsof single and multiple sites. The various embodiments set forth hereinmay be implemented utilizing hardware, software, or any desiredcombination thereof. For that matter, any type of logic may be utilizedwhich is capable of implementing the various functionality set forthherein. Components may be implemented using a programmed general purposedigital computer, using application specific integrated circuits, orusing a network of interconnected conventional components and circuits.Connections may be wired, wireless, modem, etc. The embodimentsdescribed herein are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting. Thepresent invention is limited only by the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A security device, comprising: a host plugconfigured to communicatively couple with a host; at least one hardwareprocessor; and memory storing: an operating system executable by the atleast one hardware processor; one or more first device driversexecutable by the at least one hardware processor and configured toreceive a data transfer request for transferring data between the hostand an external device, the external device including a storage deviceconfigured to store data, and to generate a data transfer instructionupon receiving an authorization indicator for causing execution of thedata transfer request between the host and the external device; and asecurity system configured to receive the data transfer request from thehost, the security system including a security engine and a securitypolicy, the security engine configured to evaluate the data transferrequest based on the security policy to determine whether the datatransfer request satisfies the security policy, and to generate theauthorization indicator when the security policy is satisfied; whereinthe host includes: a first port configured to communicatively couplewith the host plug; a second port configured to communicatively couplewith the external device; a redirect driver configured to automaticallytransfer the data transfer request received by the host to the securitydevice, before execution of the data transfer request; and one or moresecond device drivers configured to receive the data transferinstruction from the security device, and to cause execution of the datatransfer instruction in response to receiving the data transferinstruction.
 2. The security device of claim 1, wherein the host plugfollows a USB standard.
 3. The security device of claim 1, wherein thehost plug includes a wireless connection.
 4. The security device ofclaim 1, wherein the security engine protects against transfer ofmalware.
 5. The security device of claim 1, wherein the security engineprotects against transfer of private data.
 6. The security device ofclaim 1, wherein the data transfer request includes a request totransfer data from the host to the external device.
 7. The securitydevice of claim 1, wherein the data transfer request includes a requestto transfer data from the external device to the host.
 8. The securitydevice of claim 1, wherein the host launches the redirect driver upondetecting connection of the security device to the host.
 9. A methodcomprising: communicatively coupling with a host by a security device;executing an operating system by at least one hardware processor on thesecurity device; executing one or more first device drivers on thesecurity device by the at least one hardware processor; receiving by theone or more first device drivers a data transfer request from the host,the data transfer request requesting transfer of data between the hostand an external device, the external device including a storage deviceconfigured to store data, the external device coupled to the host, thehost including a redirect driver configured to automatically transfer tothe security device the data transfer request before execution of thedata transfer request, the host further including one or more seconddevice drivers configured to receive a data transfer instruction andconfigured to cause execution of the data transfer instruction inresponse to receiving the data transfer instruction; receiving the datatransfer request by a security engine; using the security engine toevaluate the data transfer request based on a security policy todetermine whether the data transfer request satisfies the securitypolicy; generating an authorization indicator by the security enginewhen the security policy is satisfied; and generating the data transferinstruction by the one or more first device drivers upon receiving theauthorization indicator, the data transfer instruction for causingexecution of the data transfer request between the host and the externaldevice.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the communicatively couplingincludes following a USB standard.
 11. The method of claim 9, whereinthe communicatively coupling includes using a wireless connection. 12.The method of claim 9, wherein the using the security engine to evaluatethe data transfer request based on the security policy includesprotecting against transfer of malware.
 13. The method of claim 9,wherein the using the security engine to evaluate the data transferrequest based on the security policy includes protecting againsttransfer of private data.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the datatransfer request includes a request to transfer data from the host tothe external device.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein the datatransfer request includes a request to transfer data from the externaldevice to the host.
 16. The method of claim 9, further comprisinglaunching the redirect driver by the host upon detecting connection ofthe security device to the host.